- Ultra preparations
- Day 1 - the start
- Day 2 - first difficulties
- Day 3 - Team disagreements
- Day4 - the finish line is in reach
- Conclusion and tips for the next ultra
Ultra preparations:
We quickly agreed that our training for the E250 would be even more intensive than for our previous 100K and 100M runs. It would include a mix of various running sessions, balancing sports, and strength training. However, it was also clear that our individual life situations, daily routines, and social environments should remain as unchanged as possible. Therefore, we decided that each of us would train independently and follow our own rigorous path to the E250.
As the Eiger approached, discussions about training status, preparation events and E250 strategies became more concrete and frequent. We had plenty of conversations about nutrition, sleep, the route, the altitude profile and the growing nervousness.
Tag 1: 8 Uhr - es geht los
Day 1: 8:00h - the start
We felt prepared, both mentally and physically, and strong as a team. After many months, the moment had finally arrived: on July 17th at 8 a.m., we stood at the starting line in Grindelwald. As we took off, much of our physical and mental preparation replayed in our minds. The time had come: the first steps, the first turn, and soon after, the first single trail. The E250 was no longer just a vision; it was now a reality.
And the reality was that everything turned out completely differently than expected. When running takes a back seat at a trail event, that's when things get really exciting. Physically, we had no concerns right from the start, but how does it feel to run through the first night when the start was already in the morning? How will we manage our food supply with up to 12 hours between official refreshment points? How does the body react to temperature differences of up to 30 degrees? We already had all these questions in mind in the run-up to the race and eventually - as already mentioned - everything turned out differently.
KM 57 - first Life Base
The foundation of our race strategy was a conservative start, a calm, controlled pace, staying well-hydrated, and eating properly. The first life base came after KM57 with approx. 4,700 meters of ascent and descent. We wanted to get there on the first day, in good shape, not tired, not hungry and with relaxed legs. The plan worked well, although we were surprised to find ourselves near the back of the pack at this stage. Were we too slow? Had others started too fast? We reminded ourselves that there were still around 200 kilometers and 10,000 meters to go, and a lot could and would happen.
That's exactly how it turned out. I left the first Life Base shortly before midnight, heading towards the Lötschen Pass. The route began with a few flat kilometers, then a gradual uphill, followed by a steep high alpine section with hard snow, all in the middle of the night. I began to feel very tired, and my eyes closed for the first time on the uphill. I hadn't expected nor planned it to be like this, not on the first night. A quick bite to eat to recharge my batteries and off I go again. Another 3 hours until it gets light again, hoping the sunrise would bring renewed energy.
Tag 2 - Sonnenaufgang
Day 2 - Sunrise - first difficulties
Up on the Lötschen Pass at sunrise, wow, what a view, what a wonderful atmosphere. Our energy was back, our motivation was high and we were doing well.
Having reached an altitude of around 2,800 meters, the plan was to descend for approximately 70 kilometers, followed by another 80 kilometers. I started to feel tired again and Sandra started experiencing foot problems, unusually early. With one of us so tired, the other with sore feet, and still a long way to go... at that point we had the first small and short low in motivation.
KM93 - Life Base 2 - 11:00h
We aimed to reach Jeizinen, the next checkpoint at KM93, where I planned to rest briefly, and Sandra wanted to have her feet treated. And things turned out differently than planned, again. As tired as I was, I couldn't sleep there. It was mid-morning, around 11 a.m., the blazing sun was beating down on our heads and we still didn't know what was coming next.
We had to descend another 500 vertical meters, which went smoothly until we came to a south-facing mountain path between Jeizinen and Finnen. Approx. 14 km, with undulating terrain at 1,000 m altitude and not a meter of shade. The measured temperature in the sun: 38 degrees.
We decided to hike rather than run this long mountain trail due to the extreme heat and the high risk of sunstroke. As a result, our schedule for reaching the next Life Base in Finnen was no longer realistic.
As my exhaustion took hold once more, I needed to rest, so I decided to take a 15-minute power nap right in the middle of the trail. I was halfway fit again before tackling the next 500m climb.
Arriving in Finnen in the early evening, much later than expected, we ate in peace, replenished our supplies and made a new plan.
KM130 - Life Base 3 - Midnight
We had to take a long break, put our legs up, try to sleep, regroup and recharge our batteries for the second night. Belalp, the next life base at KM130 and already 9,200 meters of ascent, like the perfect place to do this.
At last it was no longer too hot and most of the route was in the shade or in the dark; it was once again midnight when we arrived at our next checkpoint. Our hearts were rising, we had pizza. We decided to continue at 02:45. This gave us a good 2.5 hours to eat, freshen up and sleep. Our new plan worked out well, and we left Belalp just before 3 a.m. The next Life Base in Bellwald was 42 kilometers away, with 2,400 meters of ascent and 900 meters of descent.
The weather forecast predicted another hot day, so we aimed to complete the first downhill stretch quickly after leaving the Life Base, allowing us to start the long uphill as early as possible.
Tag 3 - Unstimmigkeiten - das Ende vom Tea, "alwaysultra"?
Day 3 - Team disagreements - the end of Team "alwaysultra"?
Our strategy paid off: the good food and hour of sleep helped us make significant progress. Soon we would enjoy a wonderful view of the Aletsch glacier and pass the Märjelen reservoir at the highest point of the day. We were there much earlier than planned and in our futile search for shade, we took a short break before heading downhill towards Bellwald. Timing was crucial since Sandra had broken two toes and was suffering from blisters - a painful undertaking for her with the hope of receiving support from the medical crew in Bellwald. After arriving in Bellwald in the early evening, she had a quick rest, had her feet treated and, due to a route change, the path to the next Life Base in Münster was relatively flat.
KM 192 - Life Base 5 - Evening
KM192, at least that was our guess, but unfortunately no one there could really tell us which official KM we were currently at - that was a bit difficult for us mentally, as all the runners had completely different KM information on their watches. We left the Life Base at nightfall heading into the third night, mentally prepared for another 65 km and 2,500 m of climbing. Sounds pretty easy compared to the distance already covered. But the pain in Sandra's feet got worse and worse and I felt tired again. At that point it became evident how crucial teamwork was—not just when things were going according to the plan, but when everything seemed to go wrong.
The 15KM and approx. 800HM between Münster and the Grimsel Pass proved to be the most difficult KM of our entire ultra running journey. We faced microsleeps while running, extreme and exhausting temperature variations (including snow), and tracking issues that made the Life Base seem much further away than anticipated. After 200 km, we experienced a big mental low, an inner conflict between the will to make it and the overwhelming tiredness and the conflict between Sandra and me: To continue or not to continue? To be able to keep going or not?
Absolute silence dominated the cold, snow-covered mountain in the depths of the night. Silence was the order of the day, absolute silence in the depths of the night on the cold mountain between snowfields.
KM 207 - Life Base 6 - 3 AM
After hours of doubt, we arrived at the Life Base at the top of the Grimsel Pass at around 2-3 o'clock. We sat down at different tables and ate separately. Sandra had her feet treated and then wanted to go on, while I wanted and needed to sleep. Well, everyone does their own thing then - the team was broken for a short time. I went to sleep for 20 minutes, woke up and immediately realized that we had to stay together, stick together and manage the last 50 km together.
Luckily Sandra was still there, we sat down together, looked at the next few kilometres on the tracking, made a plan and we did exactly what makes a good team - we stayed united.
Tag 4 - das Ziel ist nahe
Day 4 - the finishline is in reach
The longest downhill of the E250 was ahead of us, it was 4 o'clock in the morning on Saturday. Around 30 km to the next Life Base and 90% of it downhill, a long downhill with our sore feet, but our team spirit and the will to finish were strong enough. We mustered all our strength, took another power nap together halfway down and from then on just kept going.
KM 230 - Life Base 7 - noon
We reached the last Life Base at 11:40, we ate, had our feet treated again, learned that the forecast for finishing was 6 hours. And what can I say, the estimate was 6 hours accurate to the minute: some plans do really work out.
After 81.40 hours, we had covered 254KM and 15,000 meters of elevation with many ups and downs as a team. We were overjoyed to finish, thrilled to have completed it together, and grateful for the enriching experiences along the way.
By the way, our race strategy worked, we were the penultimate team at the start, but despite all the circumstances we finished in 35th place out of 70.
Erkenntnisse:
Conclusions:
Key factors for completing the race:
- Keep Feet Dry: Clean and dry your feet at each Life Base, and change your socks regularly.
- Nighttime Nutrition: Ensure you have enough food during the night too.
- Stay Cool: Wear a cape and use any opportunity to get wet to keep your head cool in the heat and sunlight.
- Route Familiarization: Study the route more thoroughly and familiarize yourself with the runnable sections in advance for better race management.
- Extra Sleep: Allow for an additional 1-2 hours of sleep; it boosts your energy in the later stages and helps you make up time.
Text: Marc Wiese
Faithful companion on the feet over the entire 250KM: Spin Planet